Evidence of sex-modulated association of ZNF804A with schizophrenia

Biol Psychiatry. 2011 May 15;69(10):914-7. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.01.003. Epub 2011 Feb 24.

Abstract

Background: The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1344706 in ZNF804A (2q32.1) has been associated with schizophrenia in a genome-wide association study (GWAS). A recent candidate gene study, which replicated the positive association with rs1344706, identified another positive SNP (rs7597593) in ZNF804A associated with schizophrenia.

Methods: We performed an association study of rs7597593 in four GWAS cohorts of European ancestry. Postmortem human brain expression data of normal Caucasian individuals (n = 89) was also analyzed for examining the effect of rs7597593 on ZNF804A messenger RNA expression, using logistic regression and linear regression.

Results: We found that rs7597593 was significantly associated with schizophrenia in the combined GWAS datasets (n = 5023, odds ratio [OR](combined) = 1.15, p = .0011). Analysis of stratification by sex showed that the association was driven by the female subjects (OR = 1.29, p = .0002) and was not significant in male subjects (OR = 1.08, p = .148) in the combined sample of four cohorts. A sex by genotype interaction was near significant in both the Genetic Association Information Network sample (p = .0532) and the combined sample of four cohorts (p(combined) = .0531). Gene expression analysis showed no main effects but a significant female-specific association (p(female) = .047, p(male) = .335) and sex by genotype interaction (p = .0166) for rs7597593.

Conclusions: Our data suggest a clinical and molecular modulation by sex of the association of ZNF804A SNP rs7597593 and risk of schizophrenia.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Brain / pathology
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / genetics*
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phenotype
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / genetics*
  • Postmortem Changes
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Regression Analysis
  • Schizophrenia / genetics*
  • Schizophrenia / pathology
  • Sex Characteristics*
  • White People / genetics
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors
  • RNA, Messenger
  • ZNF804A protein, human